A month of elephants
By Debra Durham • May 18th, 2008 • Category: Lead StoryWarning: pack() [function.pack]: Type H: illegal hex digit in /home/content/i/a/a/iaatr/html/debi/wp-content/plugins/wp-recaptcha/recaptchalib.php on line 245
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Originally uploaded by debradurham
For the month beginning 5/19/2008 I am going to focus the majority of my posts on elephants. I begin with this image of a female elephant who I recently met named Mae Perm.
Why blog about elephants?
Elephants are facing unprecedented risks in the wild: human-elephant conflict, habitat loss and degradation, “poaching,” and even the government endorsed killing in South Africa, which is genocide cloaked in language that makes people feel less uncomfortable. Already the rules and norms on culling in South Africa have contributed to the killing of elephants in other nations.
Elephants in captivity and those in forced servitude experience great risk and suffering as well. I recently returned from a trip to Thailand where I had the privilege to visit a sanctuary that cares for elephants who have been rescued from lives in forced labor and exhibition.
All of the adult elephants survived the traditional training methods used in this part of the world. These methods are sometimes referred to as “the crush,” but the video evidence that I saw was so horrific I can only say that the name is a gross understatement. Just watching caused me physical pain and I was overwhelmed by the sense that I would throw up.
Elephants used in exhibition and entertainment here in North America don’t fare much better. The main difference is that the pain and suffering exacted on them is usually hidden away. Despite a complete lack of evidence for any such benefits, conservation and generic education value are often used to justify the imprisonment and exploitation of elephants in North America.
Have suggestions for books, articles, essays or other material for the elephant theme? I’d love to hear about them. Please post in comments or use the contact form.
Posts from the Month of elephants series:
- Thailand’s urban giants
- Framing elephants
- Riding on the chain gang
- Elephants and ethics: Toward a morality of coexistence
- Put the animals first: A blast from the past
- Collateral damage from South Africa’s “cull”
Other related posts:
